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I saw au Indian die, and I said that the righteous hath hope in his death. 

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HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 



WRITTEN POR THE BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 

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BY THE 



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AUTHOR OP "LEARN TO SAT NO," AND "SCENES IN 
CHUSAN." 



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PHILADELPHIA: 

PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, 

NO. 821 CHESTNUT STREET. 



4 

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by 
JAMES DUNLAP, Treas., 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District 
of Pennsylvania. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Death dreaded, 5 

The death of the wicked, .... 11 
Death with its sting extracted, . . .14 

Halyburton, . . . ... . 20 

Triumphant death-beds, 21 

Death a sleep, .24 

The flames not felt, 25 

The billows of the sea for a dying bed, . 30 
One whose grave is among the Indian tribes, . 33 
A brand plucked from the burning, . . 40 

There remaineth a rest, 47 

The ripe fruit gathered, .... 58 

Gathered in the blossom, 70 

Anna, . 77 

How to live so as not to fear death, . . . 95 
A Psalm of David, 100 

(3) 



HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 



+*H- 



DEATH DREADED. 

Death visits mankind in various 
forms; but the announcement of a 
death, in whatever form it may have 
been, seldom fails to arrest the atten- 
tion even of the most hardened. If 
we hear of an accident, we wish at once 
to know whether it was attended with 
fatal consequences ; if not, we feel re- 
lieved ; but if lives have been lost, it 
makes us sad. 

The report of a death in a neighbour- 
hood or village soon passes from house 
to house, and causes a stillness ; all the 

1* (5) 



HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

people step more softly and speak in a 
lower tone : and when the bell tolls, 
every other voice is hushed, and labour 
is suspended ; and, for a few moments, 
every person is thinking of death. 
And when the funeral procession passes 
by, all is still again ; the children for- 
get their plays, and are reminded that 
this is the end of all living ; and many 
are forced to say, "As that one is now, 
so must I soon be." 

It is well to think of death, and to 
think of it often, and to keep in re- 
membrance that we too must go the 
way of all the earth ; and because we 
cannot before hand know the time or 
manner of our death, therefore we 
ought always to be living in a state of 
preparation for it. " It is better to go 
to the house of mourning, than to the 
house of feasting : for that is the end 



DEATH DREADED. 7 

of all men ; and the living will lay it 
to his heart." 

It may be, perhaps, too generally 
the case, that the subject of death and 
the grave is presented in those aspects 
which are most terrifying. The cham- 
ber of death is associated in the mind, 
with the pains and groans and dying 
strife of the person whom the king of 
terrors has come to tear away from 
earth, and with the boisterous grief 
of friends who are about to be bereaved. 
Then the darkened, desolated room, 
the cold corpse, the winding sheet, the 
coffin, and the whole house made to 
put on mourning. This may well ap- 
pall the heart, and cause it to shudder 
at the thoughts of death, and to dread 
above all things its entrance into the 
house. 

There are other considerations which 



b HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

cause death to be dreaded; as when 
we think of passing away and being 
forgotten ; the places which know ns 
now soon to know us no more ; as when 
we think of the body falling a prey to 
corruption and worms; and as when 
we hear death spoken of as travelling 
alone through some dark and gloomy 
passage. 

Most persons do indeed shrink back 
when they contemplate their own dis- 
solution, and it is truly called the 
" trying hour." The best people have 
some misgivings as to how they may 
be able to meet and grapple with the 
king of terrors; and they are ac- 
customed often in their prayers to ask, 
that they may have all needed support 
in the final conflict. There are some- 
times extreme physical sufferings ex- 
perienced in dying, when there seems 



DEATH DREADED. 9 

to be a fearful struggle going on ; the 
soul apparently labouring to liberate 
itself from its prison ; or the body, as 
it were, grappling and clutching at life, 
determined, as long as possible, to re- 
sist the approach of death. Others 
again die easy, like the wasting, flick- 
ering, and then expiring taper. 

To most people the very idea of 
death is appalling; and God has or- 
dered that it should be so. By God's 
appointment death is made the punish- 
ment for the highest crimes ; and the 
fear of the death penalty has undoubt- 
edly deterred many persons, who were 
murderers at heart, from the commis- 
sion of capital crimes. 

God designed that death should be 
terrible to the wicked. Death is in 
consequence of sin. When God placed 
our first parents in the garden of Eden, 



10 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

and entered into a covenant of life with 
them, on condition of perfect obedience, 
forbidding them to eat the fruit of a 
certain tree, he said, " In the day thou 
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." 
But, alas ! they did eat, and in conse- 
quence of that transgression the curse 
of God fell on them ; and Adam being 
our federal head, we "sinned in him, and 
fell with him in his first transgression," 
and thus we are all subjects of the 
curse. We all died in Adam, and 
that was the moral death ; that is, we 
are born just as Adam became as soon 
as he had sinned ; we are born with 
wicked hearts — with sinful dispositions. 
In consequence of the curse for sin we 
are also exposed to all the miseries of 
this life, and to the death of the body 
of which we have been speaking, and 
to the pains of hell for ever ; and the 



THE DEATH OF THE WICKED. 11 

pains of hell for ever are sometimes 
called the " second death." All who 
are not redeemed from the curse of the 
law, and who die in that condition, are 
"cast into the lake which burns with fire 
and brimstone, which is the second 
death." 

THE DEATH OF THE WICKED. 

There is, therefore, reason why the 
thoughts of dying should be terrible 
to the ungodly, who have learned that 
the ungodly cannot stand in the judg- 
ment, nor sinners in the congregation 
of the righteous ; for they have before 
them only the " fearful looking for of 
judgment, and fiery indignation, which 
shall devour the adversaries." They 
know that the wicked shall be turned 
into hell, and all the nations that for- 
get God. They know, therefore, that 



12 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

if they continue as they are, the mo- 
ment they leave this world they will 
find themselves in the place of lost 
souls, the place prepared for the devil 
and his angels. It is not surprising 
that the wicked should dread death, 
and be unwilling to talk or think about 
it. And it is not surprising that when 
sickness comes they grow fearful, and 
are filled with distress when they learn 
that it may be fatal ; and we need not 
wonder at those distressing death-bed 
scenes which are sometimes witnessed. 
How could a person but be distressed 
who sees that he has but a few days, 
or a few hours to live ; who sees that 
he must bid farewell for ever to all his 
pleasures ; that his sins will all follow 
him, and that he must appear in judg- 
ment before God, whose command- 
ments he has trampled on, whose mercy 



THE DEATH OF THE WICKED. 13 

he has abused, and whose invitations 
he has scornfully rejected ? How can 
he but be in anguish of spirit who ex- 
pects in a very short time to hear 
Christ say, Depart from me, ye cursed, 
into everlasting fire? Sometimes it 
has been the case, that the sinner, un- 
reconciled to God, seemed before death 
to be beginning to feel already some- 
thing of the pains of hell in his soul; 
already he seemed beginning to feel 
the gnawings of the worm that never 
dies ; conscience had fully aroused and 
commenced its terrible upbraidings; 
and in bitter lamentations, in shrieks 
of despair, with awful contortions of 
countenance, and sometimes, too, even 
while cursing the Almighty, such per- 
sons have gone to meet their doom. 

li What scenes of horror and of dread, 

Await the sinner's dying bed ! 
2 



14 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

Death's terrors all appear in sight, 
Presages of eternal night. 
His sins in dreadful order rise, 
And fill his soul with sad surprise ; 
Mount Sinai's thunder stuns his ears, 
And not one ray of hope appears." 

DEATH WITH ITS STING EXTRACTED. 

To many persons death is divested 
of its terror ; the grave to them has no 
horror, and eternity is viewed without 
dread ; but rather, they are accustomed 
to think of death as a falling asleep ; 
of the grave as the bed in which their 
bodies shall rest in hope ; and, to their 
eyes of faith, eternity is seen with all 
its fulness of joy, and pleasures for- 
evermore. 

And perhaps you ask, How is it that 
death is a terror to some, and without 
terror, or even sweet to others ? It is 
because Christ has taken away the 



DEATH WITH ITS STING EXTRACTED. 15 

sting of death, and robbed the grave 
of its victory. Christ died that we 
might live. He came to redeem us 
from the curse of the law. He took 
our law place, he obeyed the law, and 
he gave himself a sacrifice to satisfy 
divine justice, and to reconcile us to 
God ; so that whosoever w 7 ill trust in 
him as their surety, shall be freed from 
all the curse. They shall live by their 
faith. For, whereas they were dead 
in trespasses and sins, by believing in 
Jesus they shall be raised up to new- 
ness of life ; they pass from spiritual 
death to spiritual life. The moment 
they believe, they lay hold on eternal 
life, they begin a life of holiness ; and 
by diligently improving all the means 
of grace they make constant progress 
in holiness, and are thus daily dying 
unto sin, and living unto righteousness. 



16 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

Believers are saved from the second 
death, saved from going down to the 
pit. The death of the body, however, 
they cannot escape ; but its sting is 
taken away. To the believer death is 
a blessing ; and, if he considers it as 
he ought, and as he may, he will look 
forward to it with pleasure. The apos- 
tle Peter thought of death merely as 
the putting off this tabernacle. Paul 
longed for death ; he hailed it as a re- 
lease from all suffering and sin ; he be- 
lieved that for him to depart from the 
body would be to be present with the 
Lord. With Paul, to die was just to 
leave the earthly house of this taber- 
nacle, and go and take possession of 
the mansion which Jesus had gone to 
prepare. He said, " For to me to live 
is Christ, and to die is gain." Death 
is surely a blessing to the christian, if 






DEATH WITH ITS STING EXTRACTED. 17 

then his soul is made perfect in holi 
ness and immediately passes into glory, 
and his body still united to Christ rests 
in the grave till the resurrection. We 
have an assurance of a resurrection. 
Christ says, "I am the resurrection 
and the life : he that believeth in me, 
though he were dead, yet shall he live." 
Jesus has taken his people into his care, 
both in this life and in that which is to 
come. He is the good Shepherd, and 
he will lead, and guard, and feed them 
while they remain on earth; when 
they walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death they shall fear no 
evil, for his rod and his staff they 
shall comfort them; and after he has 
taken them to heaven, they shall still 
follow the Lamb whithersoever he 
goeth. 

Therefore, with the present consola- 

2* 



18 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

tions.of religion, the assurance of his 
Saviour's presence always, and think- 
ing of all the blessings which are laid 
up in heaven for the righteous, the be- 
liever may look forward with calmness 
to the time of his departure; yea, with 
joyful expectation. There may be 
many trials yet to pass through, but 
he says of them all, " These light af- 
flictions, which are but for a moment, 
work for me a far more exceeding 
and eternal weight of glory." The 
pangs of death may be sharp, but he 
knows they cannot last long, and then 
will come the joy unspeakable and full 
of glory ; and what, he says, would be 
a long life-time of suffering compared 
with an eternity of infinite pleasure? 
Of the sufferings of the sick bed, and 
of the dying hour, as well as of all the 
troubles of life, he may sing, 



DEATH WITH ITS STING EXTRACTED. 19 

li Though paiuful at present, 'twill cease before long, 
And then, Oh how pleasant the conqueror's song !" 

There have been instances in which 
all the sting of death seemed to have 
been taken away, and Jesus did "make 
the dying bed as soft as downy pillows 
are." God can strengthen his people 
upon a bed of languishing, and make 
all their bed in their sickness ; he can 
comfort them, even u as one whom his 
mother comforteth." He can reveal 
to the vision of the soul such views of 
himself, of his faithfulness, goodness, 
and love ; and afford such antepasts of 
heaven, that bodily sufferings will be 
unheeded. The spiritual delight may 
so exceed the physical pains, that the 
latter will no more be thought of than 
if the soul had already been separated 
from the body. 



20 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

HALYBURTON. 

The last sickness and death of this 
eminently godly man afford an ex- 
ample of the kind of which we have 
just been speaking. For many days 
he seemed to be dying. His disease 
was acute, the pains sharp, and with- 
out interruption ; and when he turned 
his thoughts upon himself, and took 
note of his sufferings, they seemed to 
him, as they did to those who were 
with him, as very nearly unendurable; 
but such floods of joy were immedi- 
ately poured in upon his soul again, that 
all his pains were forgotten, and at differ- 
ent times he made use of these expres- 
sions, "My body complains of pain, 
but I complain of none. Never was 
I more uneasy in my life, and yet I 
was never more easy. I am now in 



TRIUMPHANT DEATH-BEDS. 21 

the hands of the king of terrors, and 
within a little while I shall be out of 
them. I am now about to grapple 
with the last enemy, and I find he is 
a conquerable enemy ; I am more than 
a conqueror. sirs, I could not be- 
lieve that I could have borne, and 
borne cheerfully, this rod so long. This 
is a miracle ; pain without pain. And 
this is not the fancy of a man dis- 
ordered in his brain, but of one lying 
in full composure. God is melting me 
down into corruption and dust, and yet 
he is keeping me in a calm. I have 
peace in the midst of pain — my peace 
has been as a river." 

TRIUMPHANT DEATH-BEDS. 

Sometimes as christians draw near the 
end of life, they seem to get a sight of 
the country towards which they have 



22 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

long been journeying, and heavenly 
sounds seem to reach their ears; and 
their own conversation so seasoned 
with holiness, and their faces beaming 
so with unearthly pleasure, that we feel 
that their heaven is indeed begun. 

There have been cases, and perhaps 
some of you have witnessed them, in 
which heaven seemed to be opening to 
the vision of the soul before the spirit 
quite forsook its clay; in which the 
dying saint seemed to catch upon his 
ravished ear some notes of the celes- 
tial music: cases in which the depart- 
ing friend seemed to be abstracted 
from all around, and to be communing 
with spiritual visitants; and now and 
then the lips of the dying friend would 
move; and now and then he would 
speak half audibly, as though he saw 
the forms of angels which were wait- 



TRIUMPHANT DEATH-BEDS. 23 

ing to transport his soul to their home 
in glory ; and now and then there is 
an exclamation, as though Jesus was 
near, and he could see him with his 
pierced hands and wounded side, yet 
with his many crowns upon his head, 
and beckoning him to the mansions 
which he had prepared, and saying, 
"Come now with me, to my Father 
and your Father, to my God and your 
God:" and you who were gathered 
about that couch, sorrowing yet rejoic- 
ing, bent your ears to the pale lips of 
the dying one, and you heard a gently 
murmuring sound, or a sweet whisper, 
and it said, "Come, Lord Jesus; 
come quickly:" and you could hear no 
more, for already the freed spirit had 
begun its flight up through the skies, 
amongst the stars, speeding onward 
towards the golden gates, leaving with 



24 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

you only the now deserted tenement 
of clay — deserted, cold, and dead, but 
still precious — and you commit it to its 
kindred dust, while you comfort one 
another with the words of inspiration, 
" Them that sleep in Jesus shall God 
bring with him." 

DEATH A SLEEP. 

Death is sometimes spoken of as a 
gently lying down to sleep, and such 
was the manner of Stephen's death; 
though he was slain, and his murder- 
ers, crying with a loud voice, ran upon 
him casting stones at him; neverthe- 
less, to the martyr was vouchsafed a 
heavenly vision, and he said, "Behold 
I see heaven opened, and the Son of 
Man standing on the right hand of 
God." And while kneeling down and 
calling upon God, and saying, " Lord 



THE FLAMES NOT FELT. 25 

Jesus, receive my spirit/' and praying 
that the sin of his murderers might 
not be laid to their charge, "he fell 
asleep." 

THE FLAMES NOT FELT. 

God promises great things to his 
people, as when he says, " When thou 
passest through the waters, I will be 
with thee; and through the rivers, 
they shall not overflow thee : when 
thou walkest through the fire, thou 
shalt not be burned : neither shall the 
flame kindle upon thee :" and this pro- 
mise he has fulfilled always, when he 
has enabled holy martyrs to proceed 
undaunted to the place of execution, 
and to spend their dying breath in 
singing praises to God, in declaring the 
loving-kindness of the Lord to them, 

in exhorting their friends and brethren 
3 



26 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

to remain steadfast in their faith, and 
in imploring forgiveness for their per- 
secutors. How often has the martyr 
welcomed the executioner as a friend, 
who had come to deliver him more 
speedily from this world of sin and 
suffering, that he might go to the rest 
prepared for them that love God ! Christ 
can make the fagot and the flame seem 
no more terrible than were the horses 
of fire, and the chariot of fire, and the 
whirlwind, which came to carry Elijah 
up to heaven. He opened heaven to 
the view of Stephen, and gave him a 
cheering, sustaining sight of his Re- 
deemer, once dead but now living, and 
reigning, and interceding at the right 
hand of God ; and could make his death 
seem like falling asleep, though showers 
of stones were bruising and crush- 
ing every part of his body. He 



THE FLAMES NOT FELT. 27 

could prepare those recent martyrs, 
the missionaries in India, and the con- 
verts who died witnessing a good con- 
fession — he could prepare them for 
their trials, and their tortures; he 
could sustain and comfort them, yea, 
and fill them full of joy, so that they 
could meet death with a smile, and de- 
part with a psalm to Jesus on their 
lips, and with prayers for their mur- 
derers. And in thinking of them their 
friends will mourn indeed, but not as 
those who have no hope: they may 
think of them as now with that multi- 
tude in white robes that have come out 
of great tribulation, and have washed 
their robes, and made them w T hite in 
the blood of the Lamb; therefore are 
they before the throne of God, and 
serve him day and night in his temple. 
When contemplating the horrid butch- 



28 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

eries of the Sepoy rebels, they still 
could say with entire composure, " Our 
little church and ourselves will be the 
first attacked; but we are in God's 
hands, and we know that he reigns. 
We have no place to flee to for shelter, 
but under the covert of his wings, and 
there we are safe. Not but that he 
may suffer our bodies to be slain; and 
if he does, we know he has wise 
reasons for it. I sometimes think our 
deaths may do more good than we 
could do in all our lives; if so, his 
will be done. Should I be called to 
lay down my life, do not grieve, dear 
sisters, that I came here ; for most joy- 
fully will I die for Him who laid down 
his life for me." 

Another writes, "I know that you 
will rejoice with me when I tell you 
that my faith in God's goodness has 



THE FLAMES NOT FELT. 29 

never failed me. And 'I will say 
of the Lord, he is my refuge and my 
fortress, my God, in him will I trust/ 
And like the psalmist, I am sure I 
could say most truly that I was deliv- 
ered from the ' terror by night/ I 
was alarmed, but I had no overwhelm- 
ing fear, certainly not of death. I 
tried most devoutly to realize that 
perhaps a few hours might bring me 
to the end of life, and I was not afraid 
to die, if I knew my own heart. I 
had a horror of seeing violence and 
bloodshed, and of the sufferings of 
others ; and there was a dread occa- 
sioned by uncertainty that w T as very 
trying; * * * * but I was not so terri- 
fied that my mind was distracted from 
the contemplation of divine things, 
God's goodness hitherto, and the bliss 

of heaven. * * * * All our hope is 
3* 



30 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

in God. Heaven, not this world, is our 
lasting home." * * * * 

THE BILLOWS OF THE SEA FOR A DYING 
BED. 

There was one in China, a mission- 
ary of great promise, and who, though 
still young, had already done good 
service for his Master. His death was 
unlooked for, sudden, and attended 
with circumstances which caused a 
thrill of grief to run through the hearts 
of all his fellow labourers, and which 
overcast our sky with gloom. But to 
him the translation from earth to hea- 
ven may have been as easy and as 
pleasant as that of Enoch, of whom 
we have the record " that he walked 
with God," and the "testimony that 
he pleased God," and then the record 



THE BILLOWS FOR A DYING BED. 31 

that " he was not, for God had taken 
him." 

At first we thought of the dark- 
visaged, iron - fisted, stony - hearted 
pirates who boarded the vessel on 
which our fellow missionary was a 
passenger, and seized him and plunged 
him headlong into the sea. We thought 
of him in a hopeless struggle with the 
waves for a time, then sinking and 
sinking down into the depths of the 
blue waters. But soon we began com- 
forting one another ; for we called to 
remembrance his previous life, his 
steady walk with God, his large attain- 
ments in piety; we remembered his 
many perils by sea, and perils by land, 
and perils by robbers, all of which had 
been sanctified as the means not only 
of increasing his usefulness while he 
lived, but of ripening him rapidly for 



32 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

heaven. We reflected upon his daily 
conversation, so seasoned with grace. 
We thought of his last employment 
before he went to be with Christ, 
which was reading in that constant 
companion of his studies and travels, 
his Hebrew Bible, and which is now 
treasured by surviving friends. We 
believed that one who loved, as he did, 
to think of that place where there shall 
be no more sea, could be pillowed as 
gently on the billows of the ocean as 
on any other bed ; and we doubted not 
that Jesus was with him there, making 
all his bed, though no earthly friend 
was near. We believed that while 
settling down, and the waves were 
closing over him, he was gently and 
sweetly breathing his life out, and say- 
ing, " Father, into thy hand I commend 
my spirit." And thus the Lord buried 



ONE WHOSE GRAVE IS AMONG INDIANS. 33 

him there in his ocean grave, though, 
like as it was with Moses, no man 
knoweth of his sepulchre to this day. 
With such reflections we comforted 
ourselves and one another, for we be- 
lieved that when the sea gives up its 
dead he shall arise with all those who 
sleep in Jesus; and we shall meet 
again, for we shall all be caught up to- 
gether. 

ONE WHOSE GRAVE IS AMONG THE INDIAN 
TRIBES. 

There was one whose home had 
been amongst the Indians, and who 
was born in that Indian home ; for her 
parents were veteran missionary la- 
bourers, and still they kept cheerfully 
toiling on, bringing forth fruit in old 
age, in the same good work to which 
they gave the dew of their youth. 



34 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

This young lady had been well in- 
structed by her parents, and had been 
early taught by the Spirit. She loved 
the poor Indian, for whose intellectual 
and spiritual improvement her parents 
were labouring and praying. In her 
more youthful days she was a willing, 
and a much interested tutor of the dark 
haired children that gathered in from 
the scattered cabins. In an institution 
of learning in one of the eastern States 
her own education was advanced; and 
with learning and accomplishments, 
and with the same kind heart, plea- 
sant manners, and an increased devo- 
tion to Christ and his cause, she re- 
turned to her parents, and to the peo- 
ple of the tribe whose spiritual inter- 
ests and advancement in civilization 
she had at heart more than ever before. 
She was at once employed as a teacher, 



ONE WHOSE GRAVE IS AMONG INDIANS. 35 

and engaged with ardour in her chosen 
work. But by and by a disease as- 
sailed her, and interrupted her labours, 
or rendered them more burdensome. 
Her spirit was still willing, but the 
flesh grew weak. Her heart was pant- 
ing to do much, even much more than 
ever before; but her hands became 
feeble, and her feet faint ; and strength 
so failed that at length she went from 
room to room only as supported by 
others; and then she was carried to 
the room where she was to tarry, wait- 
ing the will of God, till some messen- 
ger should say, " The Master is come, 
and calleth for thee." 

For seven or eight months she was 
a sufferer, and most of the time con- 
fined to the bed. But, says her sister, 
" that room was a very pleasant place 
of resort, as she w r as always cheerful. 



36 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

She felt uncertain whether she should 
ever be well again, and often feared 
that she might be deceived respecting 
her hope ; but those fears seemed gone 
from the time she gave up expectation 
of recovery." The sister then goes on 
to give some account of her last visit ; 
the dying sister having sent for her to 
be with her, if possible, a little while 
before she would have to bid them all 
adieu, and depart on her long journey. 
She found the much emaciated, but 
still patient sufferer surrounded by sor- 
rowing friends, but herself calm and 
peaceful, and even joyful, ready to de- 
part and be with Christ, or w T illing to 
abide still in the flesh ; she hoped she 
was as willing to suffer all his righteous 
will, as she had prayed and endeavoured 
to be willing to do his will. But while 
she waited for him whom she was ex- 



ONE WHOSE GRAVE IS AMONG INDIANS. 37 

pecting to come that he might receive 
her to himself, she was telling her 
friends of the felt presence of her Be- 
loved; of the support he was affording 
her, and the words of assurance and 
love that he seemed to be whispering 
to her. 

She strove to comfort her afflicted 
husband and all her dear friends; 
begging them to dry their tears and to 
rejoice with her, and to praise God for 
all his goodness, especially for his 
manifest presence in the trying hour. 

During her protracted sickness she 
had often breathed out her desires, and 
her admiration of Jesus and his salva- 
tion in the hymns, 

" Jesus, lover of my soul, 
Let me to thy bosom fly," 



38 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

" Come to Calvary's holy mountain. 
Sinners ruined by the fall," 

and now she desired her friends to sing 
them for her, and in the midst of such 
exercises she passed away. One mo- 
ment with a portion of the church mili- 
tant; the next moment with the church 
triumphant. One moment with the 
saints on earth singing praise to Jesus ; 
the next moment amidst that multitude 
which no man can number, and still 
singing praises to God and the Lamb, 
but with music which swells forth like 
the voice of many waters, and the 
voice of a great thunder, and the voice 
of harpers harping with their harps. 

She rests from her labours, and her 
works follow her. There, " where the 
saints of all ages in harmony meet," 
she will find some gathered from the 
Cherokee Nation ; some whom her fa- 



ONE WHOSE GRAVE IS AMONG INDIANS. 39 

ther pointed to the Lamb of God ; some 
whom she herself had taught how to 
say, " Our Father which art in heaven/' 
whom she instructed daily, and for 
whose good she laboured, and for 
whose conversion she wrestled in the 
place of secret prayer. She will meet 
those who are gathering home after 
their day's work is done; and those 
too who are the sheaves brought home 
by them who like her went forth weep- 
ing, bearing precious seed. 

" How blest the righteous when he dies ! 
"When sinks a weary soul to rest, 
How mildly beam the closing eyes ! 
How gently heaves the expiring breast ! 

" Life's duty done, as sinks the clay, 
Light from its load the spirit flies ; 
While heaven and earth combine to say, 
How blest the righteous when he dies !" 



40 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

A BRAND PLUCKED FROM THE BURNING. 

I saw an Indian die, and I said that 
the righteous hath hope in his death, 
whether he be educated or unlettered; 
I said it shall be well with the right- 
eous, whether he takes his departure 
to Abraham's bosom from a palace, or 
from a rough cabin in the woods. I 
had known him while he was yet in 
health. He was a genuine child of the 
forest, with hair as black as a raven, 
and limbs as lithe as those of the deer 
which he had once delighted to pursue. 
When a youth, it was said, few could 
excel him in the wild sports of the 
Indians, in wrestling, the ball play, 
the race, or the dance; and none were 
more wedded to these sports than he. 
But now he was a christian ; and sinful 
pleasures, or mere sports and games 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING. 41 

delighted him no more. He was a 
growing christian. Seldom was he 
absent from any of the meetings of 
the church to which he belonged. 
There was a particular seat which he 
occupied, and in which we might almost 
always be sure to find him. In our 
social meetings he was often requested 
to lead in prayer, and we loved to hear 
him pray ; and though I did not under- 
stand him (for he prayed in his own 
language), yet he seemed to plead with 
fervour, and importunity, and humil- 
ity; and appeared like one much ac- 
customed to commune with God — like 
one who had found a place very near 
to the mercy-seat. 

But suddenly he was seized with a 
violent fever; and, despite all the at- 
tention of physician and friends, the 
disease worked on, and worked rapidly; 

4* 



42 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

and it seemed that the stronger the con- 
stitution of the patient, the more vio- 
lently did the fever rage, the more harsh- 
ly did it assail him; and that so recently 
active, powerful man lay almost help- 
less, torn with pains, his temples 
throbbing, breathing with difficulty, 
his tongue swollen, his mouth dry and 
parched, and with a thirst which no- 
thing could allay: but still he was 
peaceful. There was no complaining, 
no impatience ; but a quiet resignation 
to the will of God. He knew, and 
confessed with shame that he had been 
a sinner, a great sinner; but he hoped 
that all his sins had been forgiven, 
that God had cast them all behind his 
back. He trusted that he was one of 
God's dear children, and to us he ap- 
peared like one who had received the 
spirit of adoption; for, with a warm, 



A BRAND FROM THE BURNING. 43 

full gush of filial feeling he called God 
his Father; and he seemed to have 
the Spirit witnessing with his spirit 
that he was a child of God. He was 
willing to die, and that not because 
this world had been to him all cold and 
dreary: no, for he had seemed to be 
always happy; seldom would you meet 
him but his brown face was lit up with 
smiles, and he was at peace with all 
men. He did not desire to leave the 
world because his home was comfort- 
less, like the cabins of too many In- 
dians where strong drink is used, and 
where the wife is ignorant and indolent 
or unfaithful; no, for his wife was a 
christian wife and mother. She had 
been educated at a mission school; she 
made his home pleasant; and their 
children were a comfort to them. Their 
little farm, through their industry, and 



44 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

with the blessing of God, yielded them 
all needed supplies. But he was will- 
ing to die and leave all these comforts, 
because he believed there was a better 
country, and that there his God had 
provided some better thing for him. 
He knew of the promise which Jesus 
had made to his disciples, that he would 
go and prepare mansions for them, and 
then he would come and receive them 
to himself, that where he is, they may 
be also. Judging from what we saw 
of his every-day life, we might suppose 
that he was endeavouring so to live 
that when the Son of Man should come 
he might be found watching. He dili- 
gently improved all the means of sanc- 
tification which were afforded him, so 
that he might be growing meet to be- 
come a partaker of the inheritance of 
the saints in light. And now as the 






A BRAND FROM THE BURNING. 45 

event, for which it had been the main 
study of his life, since his conversion, 
to be prepared, seemed rapidly approach- 
ing; as it seemed that Jesus would 
soon come to receive him to himself, 
he appeared to be ready, yes, and glad 
to go. Ready, I say; not because he 
thought himself already holy like the 
angels, and pure like the saints who 
are in heaven: not that he considered 
himself already fit to appear in the 
presence of God ; but he hoped to leave 
all his imperfections behind, when he 
should leave the world ; he hoped to 
be made perfect in holiness, and to be 
clothed upon with the righteousness of 
Christ. Having these expectations, 
and enjoying the comforting influences 
of the Holy Spirit, he had no dread 
of death. Calmly he arranged his 
worldly affairs; commending his wife 



46 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

and children to the care of his own God, 
whom, by experience, he had found a 
covenant keeping God, a faithful friend, 
and an ever present help in times of 
trouble. Then, his body still suffer- 
ing, but his soul at peace, and animated 
more and more with the hope of eter- 
nal life and glory, he waited a few 
hours, till He who had plucked him as 
a brand from the burning, placed him, 
as we trust, as a jewel in his crown. 

Thus died one who, but for the 
efforts of christians to instruct the In- 
dian in the right way to worship the 
Great Spirit, would have died in igno- 
rance of a Saviour; and therefore, 
where God and Christ is, he could 
never have come. Scattered over the 
territory of his tribe were the graves 
of his fathers aud brethren, who had 
died with no better hope than that they 



THERE REMAINETH A REST. 47 

would go to some country, with its 
perpetually green prairies, and dark 
deep forests abounding in game; and 
all around him the people of his tribe 
were still dying with no more cheering 
hope, nor higher desire than to go, as 
these were accustomed to say, " where 
other Indians go." 

THERE REMAINETH A REST. 

Our design in these sketches, as you 
have already noticed, is not to present 
the most joyful death-bed experiences, 
in which the departing saint is in ecsta- 
sies of delight, and ravished with views 
of the celestial city; but we have se- 
lected such examples as may show 
simply in what respects death is di- 
vested of its terror, both as regards 
the person who is called to meet it, and 
those too who stand around minister- 



48 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

ing to him in his last moments on 
earth ; and to show also how surviving 
friends are comforted with the hope 
that their dear ones died in the Lord, 
and are taken from the evil to come, 
and gone to be for ever at rest. 

There is a little hamlet resting quiet- 
ly at the feet of giant hills. Following 
up a not much frequented road along a 
narrow valley, you soon come to a ven- 
erable looking farm-house, embowered 
in trees, and with flowers and vines. 
You are sure that order and happiness 
dwell there. It was the residence of 
a good man- — a christian gentleman. 
His life flowed peacefully along, for he 
was one who had learned in whatso- 
ever state he might be, therewith to be 
content; he had learned the art of be- 
ing happy, which is to endeavour to 
keep a conscience void of offence be- 



THERE REMAINETH A REST. 49 

fore God and man. For many years 
he had been walking with God, and 
was still in the vigour of a strong and 
active manhood. He was an officer of 
the church of which he had long been 
an honoured and an active member. 
Doing good was his study and delight. 
Many resorted to him for counsel; nor 
were they afraid to intimate their wants, 
if they were needy ; nor did he always 
wait till applications for help were 
made, but was beforehand with kind 
words, and material assistance. His 
house and his barns were large, and so 
too was his hospitality; and seldom 
were they without guests. Their com- 
pany, however, was mostly of christian 
and serious minded people; for con- 
versation in that house was generally 
turned to good account. The affairs 
of Christ's kingdom at home and abroad, 



50 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

the interests of their own church, the 
state of their own hearts, plans for 
usefulness, or the meaning or applica- 
tion of some passage of scripture were 
themes much dwelt upon. 

That house was the stopping place 
and the tarrying place of the servants 
of Christ, who for Christ's sake are 
the servants of his people; and if 
none shall lose their reward who give 
even a cup of cold water to the least 
of Christ's brethren, shall not they, 
who thus "lodged strangers," and 
u washed the saints' feet," have their 
recompense? The spirit of that man 
seemed never to be ruffled : no hasty 
or unkind word escaped his lips. 

His occupation and associations were 
calculated to make life pleasant. When 
in summer he laboured, or walked out 
upon his farm, he might see the flocks 



THERE REMAINETH A REST, 51 

of sheep feeding high upon the hills, 
and the contented cattle in the valleys 
and by the brooks. The fragrant 
meadows, the growing grain, and the 
singing birds are pleasant sights and 
pleasant sounds to those who love to 
commune with God, and to talk of his 
wisdom and goodness. 

Though it might seem that such a 
man could hardly be spared from his 
family, from the neighbourhood, or 
from the church; yet He whose servant 
he desired to be, saw best, long before 
he had lived out the threescore years 
and ten, to remove him from labour 
and watching on earth, to his rest and 
reward in heaven. And his death was 
as his life had been — serene. His life 
had been like a mild summer day, and 
so calm was its evening. 

The account of his last illness and 



52 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

death may be best given in the follow- 
ing extracts from a letter, written by 
his bereaved wife a few days after she 
had been made a widow. After speak- 
ing of the commencement of his sick- 
ness, and its progress for about two 
weeks ; of the efforts of the physicians, 
and his cheerful compliance with all 
their directions, she says, " It had been 
his desire to get well; life was sweet 
to him, for he was always happy; home 
had many attractions; and, moreover, 
as a good servant he would wait and 
labour till he had accomplished as a 
hireling his day; therefore he was 
ready to try whatever the physicians 
recommended. But when at length 
the doctor told him that 'he supposed 
he was aware of his situation, that all 
they could do would not arrest the dis- 
ease, and if he had any arrangements 



THERE REMAINETH A REST. 53 

to make they must be made soon/ he 
said, 'Well, then, if I must die, the 
will of the Lord be done. And now 
please make me as comfortable as you 
can. Give me no more medicine, but 
let me be quiet, that I may fix my 
thoughts.' Then after smoothing his 
bed, and composing his limbs as if to 
sleep, with his hands clasped across his 
breast, as he always rested when well, 
and with his eyes closed, he lay a few 
moments in silence, and then said, 
' Lord Jesus, receive my spirit !' He 
then opened his eyes and said, < My 
hope is where it has been for years — 
in God. I know that I have not lived 
as faithful to him as I ought, and as I 
wish I had ; but my hope is all in the 
mercy of God through Christ. As to 
my business matters, they are all ar- 
ranged, and I have not a word now to 
5* 



54 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

say on that subject, and nothing to do 
but to get ready to die/ I asked if 
he wished some one to pray. ' Oh, 
yes!' he answered; and our dear fa- 
ther knelt by his bed, and with a falter- 
ing voice, and with a childlike simpli- 
city and faith, commended the soul to 
God. 

" After prayer, and after he had 
rested a while, he began again to talk 
of death, and of his preparation for it; 
speaking of his assurance, and so com- 
forting us that all the kingdoms of this 
world and the glory of them, are no- 
thing to be compared with the sweet 
remembrance of those last few precious 
words. 

" He then gave some directions re- 
specting his burial; stated that he 
would be dressed as he always was on 
the Sabbath day. * * * During 



THERE REMAINETH A REST. 55 

the succeeding night he said repeated- 
ly, i I wish that I could be laid to rest ; 
but I'll try to wait till morning/ 
About four o'clock in the morning he 
started up as if to cough, and fainted. 
As I laid him back on the pillow, he 
said, ' I am dying/ I asked, ' Does Jesus 
stand by you now ?' He did not an- 
swer directly, but kept his eyes closed, 
and I supposed that he had not heard 
me ; but after a minute, as if to answer 
honestly, (so characteristic of himself,) 
he said deliberately, and distinctly, 
' Jesus is my comforter' — the last he 
uttered, except to ask to be turned on 
his side; where he lay perfectly still, 
with one hand clasping mine, until six 
in the morning, when, like a wasted 
taper, his life passed away without a 
struggle, a sigh, or a gasp. 

" Oh, my dear friends, did you ever 



56 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

see death in its beauty? 'Twas there 
so beautiful that one might fancy the 
angels were present, having come to 
transport the spirit to their own happy 
land, leaving still the impress of plea- 
sure and joy on his placid face. 

"When next I saw him he was 
lying on the bed, and dressed as he 
had desired, and as if prepared to go 
up to the house of God with the mul- 
titudes that keep holy day. He ap- 
peared only as if sleeping a little ; and 
it seemed as though I should get ready 
to go with him. But soon the illusion 
passed, and the truth came back that 
he had gone without me this time, and 
gone to join the assembly that never 
breaks up, and where the Sabbath 
never ends. * * * 

"At the funeral these words were 
read, ' But I would not have you igno- 



THERE REMAINETH A REST. 57 

rant, brethren, concerning them which 
are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as 
others which have no hope. For if we 
believe that Jesus died and rose again, 
even so them also which sleep in Jesus 
will God bring with him/ To me they 
seemed peculiarly appropriate; for 
during his sickness and suffering the 
dear one had often prayed for sleep — 
i Oh, that I might have a little rest !' — 
and after he had ceased to breathe, 
and on until he was buried from my 
sight, I could not help repeating, ' For 
so he giveth his beloved sleep : and I 
thought of those long nights of watch- 
ing when he would say, 'How long 
will it be till morning?' and he was 
comforted with this and similar pass- 
ages of scripture, 'And there shall be 
no night there.' " 



58 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

" Oh ! for the death of those, 
Who slumber with the Lord ! 
Oh ! be like theirs my last repose, 
Like theirs my last reward 1" 

THE RIPE FRUIT GATHERED. 

Let me speak to you of an aged 
pilgrim, y es, a pilgrim ; who, for many 
years has been journeying on, in 
this wilderness of sorrow and sin. In 
very early life he became a disciple of 
Christ, and the dedication which he 
made of himself to his new Master 
was sincere and hearty; and daily has 
he been in the habit of inquiring, 
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" 
Much of his earnings has he given to 
sustain the ordinances of God's house 
at home; much has he given to send 
the gospel abroad. Much has he be- 
stowed in charity, scattering benefits 
as he travelled on in life's journey. 



THE RIPE FRUIT GATHERED. 59 

Always have his Sabbaths been given 
to rest, and to the worship of God — to 
"a holy resting all that day." On 
many days of the week, and evenings 
of the week of every month and of 
every year of his long life, has he sus- 
pended lucrative occupations that he 
might assemble with God's people for 
the purpose of listening to his word, 
or joining in supplication for a season 
of refreshing from the presence of the 
Lord, or for the spread of the gospel 
into all lands; and to enjoy all the 
comfort and profit which is found in 
such exercises. Much time has he 
given to religious visiting from house 
to house, and none of that time does 
he now bemoan as misspent — none of 
that money expended in the cause of 
religion does he regret as uselessly 
expended. 



60 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

Notice him now. He is nearly, or 
quite past labour; his steps are totter- 
ing, his head shakes, and his hands 
tremble; but every Sabbath-day he 
may be seen punctually in his seat in 
the sanctuary, and while there he seems 
like one in the place where he best 
loves to be. In the prayer meeting 
his lisping and trembling voice is still 
heard leading in prayer, or speaking of 
God's special mercies to him; counsel- 
ing the young, repeating the promises, 
and encouraging those who are still 
bearing the burden and heat of the day ; 
and almost always he adds, "But as 
for me, I have but a little longer to stay 
with you, brethren ; my sands are near- 
ly run : I am living now on borrowed 
time; 7 ' and with streaming eyes, he 
begs that they will hear once more 
that he bears testimony concerning the 



THE RIPE FRUIT GATHERED. 61 

faithfulness, and loving-kindness of the 
Lord, and the profit of godliness. 
Now and then he awakens life and 
feeling in the meeting by relating what 
his own eyes have seen in former times, 
when the Spirit was poured out, and 
souls were seen flocking to Zion as 
clouds, and as doves to their windows; 
and he adds, almost in sobs, and as a 
petition, that if God will but permit 
him to witness one more such Pente- 
costal season, he can then say, " Now, 
Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart 
in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy 
salvation." 

You see him again as he walks the 
streets steadied by his staff. The chil- 
dren (for there are many that know, 
and that love him too) walk slowly 
that they may have his company, and 
near his kind inquiries, and his affec- 



62 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

tionate counsels ; and in future years 
they will call to mind the many times 
he has laid his trembling hand on their 
heads, and asked a blessing on them ; 
how many times they heard him say, 
" I have been young and now am old, 
yet have I never seen the righteous 
forsaken, nor his seed begging bread :" 
they will remember how many times 
he told them of Him who took little 
children in his arms and blessed them, 
and said, " Suffer little children to come 
unto me;" and he exhorted them to 
% remember their Creator in the days of 
their youth, 7 ' and to "seek first the 
kingdom of God." 

And now he is alone again, and 
musing; talking to God, sometimes 
aloud, and sometimes his lips only 
moving ; and he says, " Cast me not 
off in the time of old age, nor forsake 



THE RIPE FRUIT GATHERED. 63 

me when my strength faileth;" he says, 
" Surely goodness and mercy shall fol- 
low me all the days of my life, and I 
shall dwell in the house of the Lord 
for ever." You listen as he goes on 
repeating hymn after hymn, and long 
passages of scripture, and you perceive 
what is the benefit of committing these 
good things to memory when children; 
for all this, which he now recites so ac- 
curately, he learned by heart when he 
was a little boy. As you see him thus 
comforting his soul, you bless the Lord 
for his kindness to this aged saint, for 
so gently leading him along; and you 
offer a petition for him, that in the 
valley of death the Shepherd's rod and 
staff may comfort him; that when he 
passes through the deep waters, they 
may not overflow him; that when other 
supports fail he may find the everlast- 



64 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

ing arms underneath him ; and you are 
confident that when flesh and heart 
shall fail, God will be the strength of 
his heart, and his portion for ever. 

This pilgrim, knowing that he is 
very near the end of his course, and 
now lingering but a few days on the 
shores of time, seems to be living in 
constant expectation of his summons. 
He is waiting, yet willing to wait on, 
even all the days of his appointed 
time, till his change come. 

An habitual exercise with him is to 
try the foundation of his hope, to con- 
secrate himself anew to God, to pray 
for a preparation for the great change, 
and to ask for all needed grace — dying 
grace, for a dying hour. 

You see him again at home, busy 
with that well-worn and familiar Bible 
— the one Book. Now he calls to 



THE RIPE FRUIT GATHERED. 65 

mind all the way which the Lord has led 
him these many years ; now he talks 
of the country towards which he is 
journeying, and he smiles as he says, 
"And I am almost there." And then, 
with closed eyes and clasped hands, 
and face beaming with pleasure and 
expectation, he listens while children 
and grandchildren sing one of the songs 
of Zion. Then follow the scripture 
lesson and the prayer; and grandfather 
is lighted to his comfortable room, and 
his bed ; and often as he retires, he has 
been accustomed to say, " If you should 
find the old man dead in the morning, 
remember that he was not afraid to 
die." As they say their good night, 
and the door has closed, the family re- 
peat, for the thousandth time, " What 
a dear good man! Oh, what a dear 

good man ! What w 7 ould we do with- 
6* 



66 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

out him in the house ? for he helps to 
keep our thoughts so much in heaven; 
he makes us feel as if heaven were 
very near to earth. His path is indeed 
the path of the just, which shines more 
and more unto the perfect day. How 
near he does seem to be to his home ! 
Almost there, indeed. He appears to 
* dread the grave as little as his bed.' 
Should he drop away at any time, we 
shall have good evidence that he has 
gone to be where Abraham and Isaac 
and Jacob are, and where all the spi- 
rits of the just made perfect are." 

One morning he did not appear at 
his usual time. The hour for the 
morning meal and the morning worship 
had arrived, and the family were wait- 
ing, but grandfather did not come; and 
the little ones, who always prized 
grandfather's salutations, and who felt 



THE RIPE FRUIT GATHERED. 67 

that their happiness was not complete 
unless he was occupying his accustomed 
seat in the family circle and at the 
social board, begged the privilege of 
running to call him. They knock at 
the door; but he does not answer. They 
knock again ; and still no answer. They 
put their ears to the door; but all is 
silent within. Then they open — and 
enter — and call; but no answer yet. 
Alarmed, they slowly and hesitatingly 
approach the bed, and he appears as if 
asleep and in a pleasant dream; his 
limbs are composed, and the covering 
is unruffled ; but he does not breathe, 
and his flesh is cold. 

Perhaps while he slept, the angels, 
who once rolled away the stone from 
the Saviour's sepulchre, came and gently 
opened the door of his earthly taber- 
nacle, and the soul flew away to its 



68 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

house which is eternal in the heavens. 
Or, it may be that while he was medi- 
tating during the night watches, and 
communing with his heart upon his 
bed, in converse with Him who giveth 
songs in the night, and he was saying, 
" How precious are thy thoughts unto 
me, God ! how great is the sum of 
them ! When I awake I am still with 
thee — I wait for thy salvation — I shall 
be satisfied when I awake in thy like- 
ness — For we know that when he shall 
appear we shall be like him, for we 
shall see him as he is" — it may be 
that with his thoughts thus on God 
and heaven, with such sweet scriptures 
running in his mind, as he was say- 
ing, " Come, Lord Jesus," Jesus did 
come, and received his spirit, and left 
his dust to sleep on until the resurrec- 
tion morning. 



THE RIPE FRUIT GATHERED. 69 

Devout men carried him to his burial. 
Many were assembled at the funeral to 
exhibit their regard for the dead ; and 
all felt the appropriateness of these 
scriptures, " Thou shalt come to thy 
grave in a full age, like as a shock of 
corn cometh in his season." "Mark 
the perfect man, and behold the up- 
right; for the end of that man is peace." 

" One sweetly solemn thouglit 
Comes to me o'er and o'er ; 
I'm nearer my home to-day 
Than I've ever been before ; 

11 Nearer my Father's house, 

Where the many mansions be ; 
Nearer the great white throne, 
Nearer the jasper sea ; 

" Nearer that bound of life 

Where we lay our burden down ; 
Nearer leaving my cross, 
Nearer wearing my crown." 



70 HOW TO DIE HAPPY, 

GATHERED IN THE BLOSSOM. 

The owner or cultivator of a garden 
enjoys it all — the ripe fruit, the yet 
growing fruit, and the blossoms too. 
Some of the fruit he plucks and pre- 
pares for his use while it is yet green ; 
and some he carefully nurtures, and 
protects till it is matured, and ready to 
drop from its stem. Likewise the fra- 
grance of the blossoms is pleasing to him, 
and very often may he be seen pluck- 
ing little clusters of them that he may 
admire and enjoy them, carry them 
home with him, or wear them in his 
bosom. 

So is it with our Beloved. The 
church is his garden, and he comes into 
it that he may enjoy its pleasant fruit. 
He notices with pleasure the growing 
plants; he loves to look upon the ma- 



GATHERED IN THE BLOSSOM. 71 

ture trees which are still bringing forth 
fruit in old age ; and from time to time 
he gathers, and carries home such as 
he pleases to take. 

Jesus loves little children, and bids 
the parents to let their little ones come 
unto him : he says, " Suffer little chil- 
dren, and forbid them not, to come un- 
to me ; for of such is the kingdom of 
heaven." 

On a Sabbath morning, a father and 
mother — a happy pair — rejoicing in 
their hope of heaven, and thankful to 
God for special blessings, came with 
their babe to present it to the Lord. 
They devoted it to God, praying him 
to bless it and keep it; making it use- 
ful in this life, and perfectly blessed 
in the life to come. On their part, they 
promised to consider and to treat it as 
an immortal soul intrusted to their care, 



?2 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

to nourish and educate it with entire re- 
gard to the Chief End of Man, which 
is, " To glorify God, and enjoy him for 
ever." They promised to bring it up 
in the nurture and admonition of the 
Lord. Some of the promises were re- 
peated to them ; especially the encour- 
agement that those parents have, who 
do, with all their heart, present their 
children to Christ, that for them there 
is a place in his kingdom. They w r ere 
reminded of the promise which is made 
to believing parents, and to their chil- 
dren. They entered into a solemn 
covenant with God concerning that 
child ; and the outward seal of that cove- 
nant was applied when the water was 
sprinkled on its forehead. That child 
therefore belonged to God. By crea- 
tion it was his already, and now the 
parents had consecrated it to him, and 



GATHERED IN THE BLOSSOM. 73 

Holiness to the Lord had been in- 
scribed upon it. The parents acknow- 
ledged God's right to it, and entered 
into an engagement to take care of it 
as for him. For a while they were 
permitted to keep it. It grew ; its mind 
expanded little by little; more and 
more the parents loved it, and it seemed 
to them that they could not do without 
it, and they perceived that their hearts 
were in danger of growing in the feel- 
ing that the child belonged exclusively 
to them, and that they must keep it. 

But the owner of the vineyard was 
watching this opening blossom ; and he 
took it. 

The babe sickened ; and neither medi- 
cal skill, nor parental solicitude or 
prayers could keep it here. It was God's ; 
all souls are his ; he had the best right to 

it, and in taking it he intended no un- 

7 



74 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

kindness to the parents. Christ can 
save little children, and wash them, 
and make them white in his blood, and 
present them without fault before the 
throne of God, and have them to follow 
him whithersoever he goeth. I thought 
of all these things as we stood by the 
little coffin. The former bloom was 
wanting in the cheeks, but they were 
still full and fair, and the dimple was 
in the chin ; and the little hands, cross- 
ed upon the breast, were holding a 
bunch of pure white flowers. The 
parents wept sore, and we all wept; 
but we rejoiced, even though we were 
sorrowful. We wept, for it is a sore 
bereavement when parents have to 
part with a darling child — when death 
comes, and seems, as it were, to snatch 
the infant from its mother's breast. 
We do not wonder that at such times 



GATHERED IN THE BLOSSOM. 75 

the parents' hearts seem ready to break ; 
for they see the time too rapidly draw- 
ing on when they cannot even enjoy 
the comfort of gazing into its sweet 
face as it lies so peacefully, though it 
be in the embrace of death; but they 
must see the coffin closed upon it, and 
reflect that then they may behold it no 
more in this world, but must put it in 
the grave, and leave it there alone. 
Again, however, they are comforted; 
for if the Saviour has taken their 
child, they may be sure that it is well 
with it. They may think of it as in 
the good Shepherd's arms, and with 
that multitude which no man can num- 
ber, clothed in its white robe, and 
having a crown and a harp. They may 
also reflect that it is taken from the 
evil that is in the world ; and may look 
forward to a period, not far distant, 



76 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

when they may meet with it again ; for 
it shall not return to them, but they 
will go to it. 

The parents did not refuse to be com- 
forted; they seemed almost to smile 
through their tears ; and when we sang 
the hynin, 

tl Gently, Lord, Oh ! gently lead us, 
Through this lonely vale of tears ; 

their voices joined in the song with a 
soft and subdued tone, and with such 
a look of calm resignation as seemed 
to say, "God hath done it; he who is 
our own God and Father; and he 
doeth all things well. His ways are 
perfect. If he chastens us, it is for 
our profit." 

Death had no terror there. 



ANNA. 77 

ANNA. 

Anna was a minister's daughter, a 
modest, gentle, and intelligent little 
girl. Her home afforded every facility 
for developing, and guiding, and stor- 
ing her mind. Father, mother, grand- 
mother, and their frequent guests, all 
added something to her stock of infor- 
mation ; for she was quick to hear, and 
so lovely in her ways that it was a 
pleasure to teach her, and to satisfy, 
as far as possible, her thirst for know- 
ledge. 

Whenever Anna was unwell, it was 
not her parents only that were anxious ; 
nor was it the children, her playmates, 
only that came daily to see, or to in- 
quire about her; but the older people 
also, for she was beloved by all; for 
she was a dear child, artless, confiding, 



78 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

and so like a lady too. And yet, to 
know all her worth, you must see her 
more than once; you must live with 
her, and see her under many circum- 
stances before you would perceive how 
much knowledge she had acquired, how 
much for one of her years she was 
given to meditation, and how correct 
were her views on many subjects, and 
how conscientiously she acted. 

Anna had an older brother, a younger 
sister, and a still younger brother ; but 
they, though generous and docile, yet 
were more strong and boisterous ; and 
their parents hoped for much from the 
subduing, restraining, and mellowing 
influence of the gentle Anna upon her 
more ardent brothers and sister. 

When we first knew her she was 
about two years old, and five years 
elapsed before we saw her again, and 



ANNA. 79 

she had grown somewhat tall and 
slender. She had been very sick, and 
her parents were trying what a change 
of air and scene might do towards con- 
firming her health ; but her physician, 
I perceived, had fears that her parents 
might be called to part with her before 
long. Her chest and lungs had been 
injured by her sickness, so that after 
she had so far recovered as to be able 
to travel, she breathed with difficulty, 
and must have suffered much; but I 
don't remember that I heard her com- 
plain at all, though from exhaustion 
she would frequently have to rest her 
body, or lean her head upon some sup- 
port. 

Anna was very fond of reading and 
of study. Often did her father say, 
" Oh, now, my daughter, lay aside that 
book, and run and play with the chil- 



80 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

dren; father does not wish you to si* 
so much, and read so steadily." And 
she would do as her father requested ; 
for so obedient was she, it was only 
necessary to gignify a wish, and she 
hastened to obey. But soon she would 
tire of play, and back she would come 
to her book again. 

Afterwards we visited at her home, 
and there we watched the children as 
they ran and played about the yard, 
and through the garden walks, and as 
they were engaged at their various 
little occupations. Then we left them 
to visit other friends, and came back 
again in a short time. We were met 
at the railroad station by her father 
and brother. I said to the brother, 
" Are all well at home?" He answered, 
" No, sir, we are not all well-" " Who 
is unwell?" I asked. "Anna is sick," 



ANNA. 81 

he said. "Is she very sick?" I asked 
again, and he replied, " Oh, yes, sir, she 
can't see any more, nor speak, nor 
hear." When we arrived at the house, 
it was nearly dark. The mother met 
and welcomed us, but in tears; and 
her lips were too tremulous to be en- 
trusted with many words. We met 
Anna's grandmother, and she could say 
but little, for her much loved Anna was 
very, very sick, and the dear child 
might never again look upon her grand- 
mother whom she loved so dearly, and 
the grandmother might never more 
hear the music of that sweet voice. 

For two days she had been in the 
state in which we found her. The 
disease was upon the brain. At first 
she was in great pain, and her moans 
were distressing to those who could 
not relieve her sufferings, nor even 



82 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

comfort her with words of sympathy 
and encouragement; for she could not 
see, or hear the dear ones who were 
around her, and anxiously bending over 
her. During the last three or four 
days of her sickness, the paroxysms of 
pain were few, and for the greater part 
of the time she lay without moving a 
limb; simply breathing, sometimes 
heavily, and sometimes hardly appear- 
ing to breathe at all. The physicians 
were frequently there, though they 
gave no encouragement that she could 
recover. There was no lack of atten- 
dants ; for the partshioners and neigh- 
bours were ready beforehand, and an- 
ticipated every want. For several 
days she seemed to be fluttering be- 
tween life and death, and therefore 
was not left alone for a moment. At 
length she ceased to breathe. 



ANNA. 83 

We could hardly persuade ourselves 
that she was dead; for lovely as she 
had appeared while yet alive, she was 
yet more beautiful in death; her face 
seemed radiant with beauty : the lips 
seemed as if waiting to speak some 
pleasant words, or to bestow a kiss. 

She was permitted to remain still 
upon that same bed in the nursery 
where she had lain during her sickness, 
and in that neat and simple dress which 
once some time before, while talking 
with her mother about dying, she had 
said she would like to be wearing were 
she to be taken up to heaven. That 
conversation occurred while as yet her 
views of the future state were less dis- 
tinct than they afterwards became. 

How many, many times did the 
friends visit that room, and in silence 
gaze upon the form from which the 



84 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 



spirit had taken its flight ! It was not 
surprising that the mother loved to be 
alone with her child, and seated by the 
bed-side. There was a communion 
there which she enjoyed — a communion 
with God, and with her own heart; 
and, doubtless, her faith, and her fancy 
too, were soaring away into the in- 
visible world, and forming pleasing pic- 
tures of the scenes in which the soul 
now absent from the body was perhaps 
mingling, and of the glories which she 
fain hoped were unfolding to her sight. 
It would not have been surprising had 
she been glad to retain those precious 
remains, the perfect form of her darling, 
a little longer unburied. 

We know nothing as to what were 
the thoughts of the little sufferer when 
she was about going into the world of 
spirits; for from the time that her 



ANNA. 85 

symptoms became alarming till life 
departed, there was no opportunity of 
conversing with her, and nothing could 
be ascertained of what she felt or 
feared. Whatever hope her friends 
may entertain concerning her must be 
gathered from her previous life. 

Anna loved her Bible, and she read 
it much, and often inquired the mean- 
ing of passages which of herself she 
could not understand. She prayed, 
and appeared to love to pray. She 
often talked about heaven, desiring to 
know more concerning it. She loved 
the Sabbath-school; she loved the Sab- 
bath-day; and she loved to go to meet- 
ing ; and when in the house of worship 
there is evidence that she listened, and 
remembered what was said. On the 
Sabbath previous to that on which she 
was taken alarmingly ill, and two Sab- 



86 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

baths previous to that on which she 
was buried, her father preached from 
that passage in Ezekiel the thirty-se- 
venth chapter, respecting the vision of 
the valley of dry bones; and on Mon- 
day this little girl (not then feeling so 
well as usual) came into the study and 
said, " Father, I didn't understand all 
your sermon yesterday, when you were 
telling about the dry bones." "Well, 
my child," said the father, u would you 
like to read the chapter ?" " Yes, sir," 
she replied; and he found it for her, 
and she read it all very carefully. The 
father then asked if she understood it. 
She answered that she thought she did, 
and was apparently much pleased with 
the new ideas which she then acquired ; 
and then they talked for a little while 
upon the subject. 

During all that week she was droop- 



ANNA. 87 

ing; and when a friend, who had called 
to visit her father, met her in the study, 
he said to her, "Anna, you seem to be 
unwell ; do you ever think about dying ?" 
She replied, " Oh, yes, sir, I think about 
it often." "And are you afraid to 
die?" he asked. "No, sir," she said. 
And then he asked, "Where do you 
expect to go when you die?" and she 
replied, "I hope I may go to heaven." 
"Then tell me, Anna," said he, "what 
makes you think you will go to hea- 
ven ?" To this she answered, " Because 
Jesus says, Suffer little children to come 
unto me; and I want to go to him; 
and I pray to him to take me, and to 
make me good." "Then you love 
Jesus, do you?" he asked. And she 
said, "Oh, I hope I do." 

Anna was an obedient girl, and when- 
ever she had been impatient, or been 



88 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

slow to obey, or done any wrong, she 
was very sorry, and confessed her fault, 
and asked forgiveness, and prayed God 
to forgive her. 

Her parents said scarce anything 
about their hope that Anna was a 
christian, and was gone to heaven; but 
it was evident that they remembered 
with pleasure all these, and similar 
circumstances ; and they reflected with 
comfort on the consciousness that they 
had devoted the child to God, and had 
renewed that covenant daily, and had 
seldom omitted to make mention of it 
in their prayers; and they had been 
untiring in their instructions, ever im- 
ploring the divine blessing on their en- 
deavours. 

And so death might come to this 
house without terror; nor was there 
anything dismal in his visit. True, we 



ANNA. 89 

all walked softly, and there were many 
tears that fell; but nevertheless there 
was in every countenance an expres- 
sion of sweet resignation to the will 
of our heavenly Father ; and I have no 
doubt that all felt precisely what the 
grandmother expressed, when, with 
moistened eyes, but with a look of sub- 
mission, yea, and of pleasure too — 
which feeling those who are not chris- 
tians may not be able to account for 
or understand — she said, after we had 
returned from the grave, "If death 
must come, it seems that it could not 
come in a less forbidding, or even more 
pleasing aspect than that in which it 
has visited us at this time." 

And now permit me to tell you some- 
thing about the funeral. It was at- 
tended on the Sabbath evening: and 
perhaps you know how still, and peace- 



90 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

ful, and hallowed seems the summer 
evening of a Sabbath in the country. 
It seemed that nearly all the members 
of the congregation, and all the chil- 
dren and teachers of the Sabbath- 
school, and most of the inhabitants of 
the village, were gathered in and about 
the parsonage. 

For years the pastor had been their 
counsellor and comforter, attending 
with words of instruction, encourage- 
ment, and consolation at their sick 
beds; and weeping with those that 
wept as their loved ones were com- 
mitted "earth to earth, and dust to 
dust;" and now they had come to 
weep with him, and to bury his dead. 

The open coffin was placed in the 
study, and Anna seemed to be sleep- 
ing in it, all unconscious of what was 
passing around her; and so still was it 



ANNA. 91 

through all the house, that she need 
not have been disturbed had it not been 
her long sleep. On her breast lay a 
little wreath of flowers so delicate, and 
as white as snow ; and another at* her 
feet. On one side of the room were 
seated the now broken family : Anna's 
own chair was there ; but it was vacant. 
It was still a family of four children, 
but one had gone — may we not say it ? 
— to be with Him who gathers the 
lambs in his arms, and carries them in 
his bosom. 

The minister, who was the pastor of 
a neighbouring church, and who within 
a few weeks had given up his two 
lambs to be carried in the bosom of the 
same Shepherd, read that chapter in 
which was the text on which (as we 
are encouraged to hope) Anna had 
based her faith, taking Jesus at his 



92 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

word — that chapter in which are the 
words of Jesus where he says, " Suffer 
little children, and forbid them not to 
come unto me ; for of such is the king- 
dom of heaven." He made no com- 
ment, offered no remarks, but slowly 
closed the book, and addressed the 
throne of grace in a prayer at once 
comprehensive, simple, and humble; 
thanking God for the hope which be- 
lieving parents may have concerning 
their children, in so far as they them- 
selves have been faithful in instructing 
those children, and in pleading with 
God in their behalf; thanking Jesus 
for his love for the little children, and 
for babes, and that whosoever will may 
bring their little ones to him for his 
blessing, and to be received into his 
fold. He asked the good Shepherd to 
deal gently with those from whose 



ANNA. 93 

little flock he had taken that lamb. 
He commended us all to Him who doeth 
all things wisely and well; who when 
he afflicts does it for our profit, dealing 
with us as with children. 

Then, by a few voices, *was sung, 
with simplicity and tenderness, this 
little hymn, 

11 1 think when I read that sweet story of old, 

When Jesus was here among men, 
How he called little children as lambs to his fold, 

I would like to have been with them then. 

" I wish that his hands had been placed on my head, 
That his arms had been thrown around me, 

And that I might have seen his kind look when he 
said, 
1 Let the little ones come unto me/ 

" Yet still to his footstool in prayer I may go, 

And ask for a share in his love ; 
And if I thus earnestly seek him below, 

I shall see him, and hear him above. 



94 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

" In that beautiful place he has gone to prepare, 
For all who are washed and forgiven ; 

And many dear children are gathering there, 
For of such is the kingdom of heaven." 

As might be supposed, that people who 
so loved their pastor and his family, 
desired once more to look upon the 
sweet face of Anna, and that comfort 
was not denied them. 

Then we followed her to the grave, 
in the village burying ground. Those 
who carried the coffin were their neigh- 
bours; and they were fathers, who as 
they silently bore those precious re- 
mains to their long resting place, and 
lowered them to their bed, might be 
thinking of their own dear children, 
some of whom were yet spared to them, 
and some of whom were already buried. 

Many were the tears that fell as the 
earth was returned into the grave, and 



PREPARATION FOR DEATH. 95 

charged to keep its treasure, till He 
who is the resurrection and the life 
shall come the second time and receive 
his own. 

HOW TO LIVE SO AS NOT TO FEAR DEATH. 

We ought always to be living in 
preparation for death, and yet not in 
the fear of it; and that we may not 
fear it, we must all the time be pre- 
pared for it. Since we know not at 
what hour or moment the Son of Man 
may come, we should always be living 
as though we were in constant expec- 
tation of him; and for this reason 
Jesus himself hath said, "Watch there- 
fore, for ye know neither the day nor 
the hour wherein the Son of Man 
cometh." " Let your loins be girded 
about, and your lights burning; and ye 
yourselves like unto men that wait for 



96 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

their Lord, when he will return from 
the wedding; that when he cometh 
and knocketh, they may open unto 
him immediately." 

Whatever preparation we have to 
make must be made before death, for 
in the grave no place for repentance 
will be found. 

tl There are no acts of pardon past, 
In the cold grave to which we haste." 

It is, moreover, extremely unwise to 
neglect the preparation for death until 
sickness comes, for then there is gene- 
rally so much pain, or the mind is so 
weak, that it is very difficult to fix the 
thoughts long and intently upon one 
subject. Often, too, sickness is accom- 
panied with delirium or stupor, which 
entirely disqualifies the mind for se- 
rious thought; so that many who put 



PREPARATION FOR DEATH. 97 

off repentance to a time of sickness, or 
to a dying bed, must wake up in eter- 
nity and perceive their mistake. Oh ! 
it is a dreadful mistake to defer to a 
time of sickness, that which should be 
made the business of our days of health 
— a fearful mistake to think to crowd 
into those last few and troubled mo- 
ments, that which should be made the 
business of every day of life. 

Just as the soul is when it leaves 
the body, so will it go to appear be- 
fore God ; if at death its sins are not 
forgiven, and the righteousness of 
Christ not imputed to it, so at the 
judgment must it appear in all its sin, 
and never be arrayed in the fine linen, 
clean and white, which is the righteous- 
ness of the saints. Just as we are 
when we fall asleep in death, so shall 
we be found when Christ shall come 

9 



98 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

the second time. If we are wise vir- 
gins, with oil in our vessels with our 
lamps, so shall we be with the wise 
virgins when the cry is made, " Behold 
the bridegroom cometh," and we may 
go in with him to the marriage. 

The scriptures in very many places 
call our attention to the subject of 
death, and of the resurrection, and of 
the judgment day; and many are the 
solemn warnings which they give that 
we be ready for them: the apostle 
Peter says, " Seeing then that all these 
things shall be dissolved, what manner 
of persons ought ye to be in all holy 
conversation and godliness V Will my 
young readers be admonished to set 
about an immediate preparation for 
death? You cannot know how long 
you may have to live, or what may be 
the manner of your death. If we are 



PREPARATION FOR DEATH. 99 

ready to die, we need not care how soon 
it comes, nor need we live in a constant 
dread of death. To be prepared to die, 
we need to have our sins forgiven — we 
need a new heart. Jesus Christ came 
into the world to save sinners ; and he 
is able and willing to save every one 
that will come unto him. 

Again, let me assure you that no 
person is prepared to enjoy life, till he 
has a preparation for death. He who 
can welcome death can also submit 
cheerfully to all God's dealings with 
him. The person that is endeavouring 
to keep his house in order, so as not to 
be surprised if death should knock at 
his door the next time he appears in 
the neighbourhood, is also the person 
that is willing to wait all the days of 
his appointed time till his change shall 
come ; and while he waits he will de- 



100 HOW TO DIE HAPPY. 

sire to be profitably employed, and he 
will say, " Lord, what wilt thou have 
me to doT 

He whose Chief End is "to glorify 
God and to enjoy him for ever/' will 
live a useful and happy life, will die in 
peace, and possess the fulness of joy 
to all eternity. 

It is our privilege in every prayer 
that we offer, to ask God to be near us 
in every hour of trial; we may pray 
especially that he will be with us when 
death approaches, to encourage and 
comfort us : we may say 

tl Teacb me to live that I may dread 
The grave as little as my bed : 
Teach me to die, that so I may 
Rise, glorious, at the awful day." 

A PSALM OF DAVID. 

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall 
not want. 



A PSALM OF DAVID. 101 

He maketh me to lie down in green 
pastures: he leadeth me beside the 
still waters. 

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth 
me in the paths of righteousness for 
his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, I will 
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy 
rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

Thou preparest a table before me in 
the presence of mine enemies: thou 
anointest my head with oil; my cup 
runneth over. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall 
follow me all the days of my life : and 
I shall dwell in the house of the Lord 
for ever. 

9* 



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